Nameless
by breezy90927
Summary: While on a relaxing mission out to sea, team Shadow Gear and Gajeel find themselves stranded on an unknown and strange island that can somehow nullify all forms of magic. That's not their only worry though, as they find themselves caught up in a heinous plot. (Cover image by piku-chan on deviantart)
1. Come on!

**A/N: This is my second fanfic ever, my first one with chapters. Chapter one and possibly two is basically the introduction, but trust me, the next chapters will be much more interesting. I hope you have as much fun reading my story as I did writing it! :p (Sorry if Gajeel seems a bit out of character this chapter.)**

**I do not own Fairy Tail.**

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**Chapter One**

Staring intently at the mission request board, Levy contemplates which mission she should choose. She absentmindedly rubs her chin and lips, something she does when she concentrates. "hmmm... I don't know what to choose. I don't want one that's too hard..." she murmers to herself.

"I got just the mission, then," a low voice behind her says.

She jumps a little and stifles a shout. Turning around, she sees Gajeel staring down at her with a grin. "Gajeel, you scared me!" she says, a little vexed.

"Gihi, sorry shrimp," he says, the smirk never leaving his face. "You've been standing here for a full ten minutes and still haven't decided...better watch out or you'll turn into Nab. Gihi."

She playfully swats his hand away, which had been about to ruffle her hair up. After the whole tenroujima incendent, her and Gajeel had gotten considerably closer. Levy now considers him a close friend. "Did you say you had a mission?" she asks with a slight sparkle in her eyes.

"Here," he hands her the cream colored paper. Levy begins looking over the paper while Gajeel gives her the specifics. "Basically, we have to accompany a ferryboat with some secret cargo across the sea to the coast of the country _Seven. _Other passengers will be there, but they are asking for mages for extra safety and security measures. They will pay us 750,000 jewels per person, with a four person limit."

"Gajeel, this seems like a _very_ long trip, I don't know..." Levy said uncertain.

"Are you kidding!? This is a once in a lifetime offer! We would be getting paid to lounge around in luxury on a fancy ship for a couple weeks!" he asked, looking incredulous. Levy still had a doubtful look on her face. He sighed, "...and you can bring Jet and Droy if you want to," he grumbled. He knew there was no way she could say no now.

Her doubts immediantly went away, she would have her best friends with her, what was there to worry about? "Really? Oh, thank you Gajeel!" She said while giving him a hug.

"Yeah, Yeah, Shrimp," he said pushing her away, feeling a little embarassed. "Meet here tomorrow morning at the guild at 6:30. We will all walk to the dock together."

"Okay," she said with a smile. "I'm gonna go pack and tell Jet and Droy, thanks again Gajeel!" She waved over her shoulder as she ran out of the guild.

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**A/N: Well, what are your thoughts so far? Do you like it? :) I came up with this pretty much on a whim, making it up as I go along haha. I love Levy and Gajeel! **

**Too bad they aren't going to get those days of relaxation on the ship... ;)**


	2. This Means War

**A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you like this chapter :) Chapter three is when we get to the action :D Please don't hesitate to review if you wish! :D (This story takes place sometime after the Tenrou arc)**

**note: 000000 this means that time has passed.**

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**Chapter Two: This Means War**

The sun was began to rise above the horizon the next morning, bathing the sky in brilliant shades of pink and orange. Levy rolled over, and looked out her window next to her bed. Today would be a good day. She stretched contently, but then she remembered the mission. She looked towards her alarm clock on her nightstand with worry, 6:05 shone in bright green. _Crap! _She sprung out of bed and headed straight to the shower. She quickly scrubbed her blue locks with her citrus scented shampoo and stepped out of the shower and hurriedly puts on her normal attire. She threw on some make-up and pulled her hair up into a cute pony tail, grabbed her three large blue suit cases, one completely dedicated to her beloved books, and rushed out the door.

She ran to Fairy Tail and stopped just outside the doors to compose herself. Then with a calming breath, she opened the doors to find that all the boys were already there. She glanced up at the clock and saw that she was one minute late. Well, there goes her 'never late' reputation.

"Levy, you made it!" Jet and Droy said dramatically in unison, grabbing her up into a hug. "We wouldn't have gone without you, Levy!"

Gajeel glared at the pathetic sight before him, both men completely gushing over her. He was really starting to regret telling her should could invite the bastards, because, like usual, they were bugging the hell out of him.

"Sorry, guys. I woke up late," Levy said with a sweet smile as she gently pushes her companions away.

With a slight growl Gajeel brushes past them muttering, "Let's just go already, geez."

Levy lifts her eyebrow questioningly at Gajeel's grumpiness, while her friends just shook their heads at him.

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The walk there was actually pretty quiet. Gajeel took the lead while Levy, with Jet and Droy on either side of her, followed. They walked out onto the wooden dock and saw a white ferryboat waiting for them. A middle aged man came to greet them. He was clad in a typical white suit, and walked with a bounce in his step, an air of arrogance about him. Levy couldn't help but giggle though when she saw his receding orange hair line and slight beer gut.

"Welcome, Fairy Tail mages. First mate Plopie at your service!" He said in booming and husky voice, while saluting them. Levy had to stifle another giggle, there was just no way to take this man seriously. Gajeel caught Levy's smirk out of the corner of his eye and he smirked as well, no doubt they were having similar thoughts.

"Nice to meet you," Jet said politely. Both Jet and Droy shook his hands. They seemed to like Plopie.

Levy stuck out her petite arm with a warm smile, "It's nice to meet you, sir." When the man turned to Gajeel he jumped slightly at his scary appearance, but quickly composed himself. Gajeel shook his hand silently, he certainly did not like the annoying man. Apparently he squeezed his hand harder than he thought, because he saw Plopie's cheesy smile falter slightly as he shook his hand.

"Well let's get on board and get you all settled! Then we can discuss the mission." He said excitedly, and strutted up the steps to the boat, well it looked more like a waddle to everyone else. The man was sure full of himself, that's for sure.

The four followed him onto the boat. It was not as fancy or big as Levy had expected from Gajeel's description, but it was definitely nice and well kept. Polished black rails along the edges of the boat. The captain's cabin was situated at the very top of the structure, with large glass windows looking out over the deck. Stairs descended down under the boat. The second floor was where the rooms and a small dining area were. (There were about only 15 rooms total_._) Finally under that was storage and the engine room, where Levy figured the thing they were supposed to protect was located.

"Okay here are your rooms, Fairy Tail mages." Plopie gestured to two doors on either side of him.

"Wait, there's only two rooms?" Levy asks.

"Yes, each room has two beds, so you'll have to share with someone." Once you get settled I'll come get you guys and we can discuss the mission over dinner," and with that Plopie left.

Levy immediately knew there was going to be a problem, who was she going to room with?

Droy stepped forward instantly getting down on one knee, "You can room with me, Levy!"

"ummm..."

"What, are you kidding? Like Levy would want to room with a pig like you? She will obviously pick me," Jet said proudly pointing a thumb at himself.

"No, bookworm is staying with me." Gajeel said throwing a muscled and metal-studded arm over her shoulders. Then leaning in closer he says, "Isn't that right, _Levy_?" Their faces were so close together, and the way he said her name was making Levy's stomach do flip-flops.

"Uh s-sure, Gajeel," she stuttered, pushing his arm off her to get some space to cool her flaming cheeks. How embarrassing! Was he flirting with her?

"Whaaaaaaaa...!?" Droy and Jet said clearly dumbfounded that their Levy would choose to room with such a creep. It looked like they had been struck by lightning, mouths gaping open.

"Sorry guys, but don't worry, I'll see you soon!" Before Jet or Droy could give her a puppy dog face or talk her out of it, she ran into her and Gajeel's room.

"Gihi," Gajeel folded his arms in triumph and looked down his nose at Jet and Droy. Both parties staring each other down, until a dark aura was surrounding them.

"You better not touch Levy, or else..."

"Or else what?" Gajeel interrupted. "I could wipe the floor with you two..."

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At dinner, they all came into the dining area and sat down at a round table near the back of the room. A dish of Lobster, breadsticks, waffle fries, and ice cream placed for them. Droy was already on his 4th helping for the evening.

"Okay, now let's get down to business." Plopie said, folding his freckled arms onto the table. "You four are going to be on night duty. Meaning I want at least one of you to be on patrol at all times, looking out for anything suspicious throughout the night. No one is allowed on the third level of the ship, if you see someone other than the captain headed that way, stop them. Don't ask what's down there." Suddenly the bouncy man was very serious and Levy couldn't help but wonder what it was that was on the third level that was so valuable.

"I don't care who does what shift and for how long, as long as someone is always watching. We will reach the ports of _Seven_ in about 3 weeks, once we get there you all will be flying back to Magnolia with jewels in your pockets. Sound good?"

They all nod and continued to eat, Plopie left to do whatever it is first mates do. Everything seemed to be going well until Gajeel decided that, since he was done, he was going to kick his legs up on the table and begin picking at his teeth without a care in the world. _"Has he ever heard of a thing called manners?" _Levy thought to herself. The other guests at their table gave him looks of disgust and started to leave.

"Gajeel, get your nasty feet off the table, it's rude!" Levy whisper-shouted to him. Her face tinged red from anger and embarrassment.

"What? If people can't handle it, then they shouldn't sit here." Gajeel said stubbornly.

"_Gajeel_..." Levy seethed, he was getting on her nerves.

"Tch. Fine." He finally put his feet down, not wanting to make her mad. Levy looked over to Jet and Droy who hadn't said a word since getting their rooms, and wouldn't even look in her direction. Strange. Levy would have to have a talk with them later to see what their problem was.

Like Gajeel, Droy's manners weren't the best, he picked up a large chunk of buttery lobster and began tearing it off with his teeth. A slimy piece came flying off and landed right in Gajeel's face. _Uh oh._

"That's it, I've had it with you two!" Gajeel yelled, wiping the lobster off his face and chucked it back at Droy, who ducked. The food flew across the room to hit a man on the side of his face at the table behind them. Levy gasped and put her hands up to her face. Oh god they were in trouble now.

The man, apparently thinking that the person beside him had thrown the food, took his Lobster and dumped it down the guy's pants. Levy watched as one thing led to another and soon the whole room was in an all-out food fight. She used her arms to shield her head from the food missiles that jetted across the room.

Gajeel seemed to be enjoying it, however. He tipped their table over for 'cover' and began chucking food as if it were ammo, and this was war. "Come on, Squirt I need more ammo!" Gajeel said with a wild grin on his face. Levy couldn't help but laugh, this was ridiculous, but she was actually having fun.

She scavenged the floor for more food, and gave it all to Gajeel who threw the food like they were torpedoes. She was having so much fun with Gajeel, she forgot all about Jet and Droy. Within a matter of minutes, the entire room was caked in lobster and ice cream; (even the ceiling!)Stains that would surely never go away.

"What's going on here!?" a booming voice pulled them all from their 'war.' The voice belonged to that of a tall, dark young man in a black suit who stood in the front of the room; the captain of the ship. Plopie stood at his side, he was fidgeting and looking nervous. The captain looked like someone who you wouldn't want to be on their bad side. And as of right now, they were. When Levy looked at the captain she got a strange feeling, but she pushed that feeling away, and awaited their punishment.

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Everyone spent the whole rest of the afternoon to nightfall, cleaning the dining area spotless. Gajeel, Droy, and Jet complaining and fighting the whole time. Levy was really tired of being the mediator of the group. Jet and Droy blamed Gajeel for his short temper, and he blamed them for being messy even after Levy had got on to him about it.

The four silently went back to their rooms to shower and get ready for their watch. Levy knew that she was on her last nerve and if she heard bickering one more time that night, she was going to explode. Gajeel could sense her tension and decided that he wouldn't act like a jerk for once and offered to take the first watch. She hardly acknowledged him as he walked out the door_. "Great, she's mad at me, can this night get any worse?"_

Little did they know that the clear night sky and dark sea had a little trick up their sleeves.

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**So what do you think is going to happen? ;) Do you like it so far?**


	3. Confrontation

**I hope that you will enjoy this chapter! I stayed up pretty late writing it. I'm so sleepy now. -_- Anyways, I would appreciate reviews :)**

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**Chapter Three: Confrontation...**

Levy sat on her bed, towel drying her damp hair. She hadn't said one word to Gajeel or to Jet and Droy since they left from cleaning the dining hall. It would be a lie to say she didn't enjoy the food fight; she actually had a lot of fun! She was just a little irritated that they were blaming each other the whole time. Now, after her shower, she felt cooled off and not so angry. She felt bad about giving Gajeel the 'cold-shoulder' when he left, even though he was being considerate for once.

"I'm gonna join him on watch duty!" she said confidently to herself. She wanted to get a chance to say sorry and to just have a nice talk with him. Levy picks through her closet, and decides to wear a comfortable white long sleeve V-neck. The shirt hugged her upper body in all the right places, and succeeded in making her boobs look bigger. She wore cute denim shorts and sandals, and decided to leave her hair down to air dry. She spotted the necklace that Droy had bought her a few Christmases ago lying on her nightstand. The plain silver chain held a single blue crystal to match her hair color, and she thought it was beautiful. She put it around her neck to top it all off. After stealing a quick glance at herself in her full length mirror, she walked up to the deck to find Gajeel.

Levy is greeted by the crisp, cool night air when she emerged from the hall. The moon is full and the stars seem to wink at her, as if they know some secret about her. Levy sees Gajeel leaning on the rails, looking out over the side of the ship. She walked over and leaned on the rail beside him.

"This doesn't look like patrolling to me..." she teased. Gajeel just snorted and turned his attention back to the ocean.

Levy giggled and nudged him with her elbow, "I'm just kidding, Gajeel."

When he still didn't say anything she continued, "Hey, I'm sorry I kind of ignored you after dinner, I was just a little frustrated I guess. I really had fun being a part of the food fight with you." She gave him a sweet smile to prove that she was telling the truth.

Gajeel finally cracked a small smile, "I knew you would, shrimp. It's fun breaking the rules sometimes, ain't it?"

Had a stranger seen Gajeel's face at that moment, they would have thought he was going to rape the poor blunette. However, Levy knew him well enough to know that it was a genuine smile, and she loved it. But Levy had very recently found that she harbored some sort of feelings for the Dragon Slayer, and she was at a loss about what to do. What if he didn't like her back? Levy had dropped small hints before, trying to show him that she liked him and wanted him to make a move, but he didn't seem to notice. Looks like going subtle wasn't going to work.

"Yeah, it is... and Gajeel..." she said, feeling a burst of courage. She stood up on her tip-toes and placed one hand on his muscled arm, and planted a small kiss onto his cheek. "Thank you for letting me come with you on this trip."

Gajeel seemed to be dumbstruck for a moment, the tiniest of blushes found its way to his tan cheeks. He had always liked Levy, but how could he deserve someone as amazing as her? Even after all that he had done to her, she still had found it in her heart to forgive him, and now maybe even _like_ him. The way she was looking at him now, though, gave him reassurance.

He recovered quickly, and replaced his look of shock with a smirk. "...You missed, Levy," he stated in a low voice.

"Huh?" Levy said, a little confused.

He suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist, and brought her closer to him. Levy found herself pressed up against him, staring into his crimson eyes. Somehow, it seemed she had forgotten how to breathe. She felt herself flush along with the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. Gajeel placed his hand under her chin and tipped it up, until their lips were just centimeters apart. No thoughts came to levy's mind, she could only feel her and Gajeel there in that moment, about to share their first kiss.

Almost there_, 3 centimeters...2 centimeters...1 centimeter_.

Suddenly, the boat gave a violent lurch and both mages stumbled, grabbing onto the rails for support, their kiss interrupted.

"What the hell...!?" Gajeel yelled irritably.

Levy pulled herself up with the help of the rail, and scanned her surroundings while still trying to catch her breath. A light fog had formed around the bottom of the boat, but nothing else seemed to have changed. With Gajeel's advanced hearing, he could hear scraping sounds coming from the underside of the boat. The boat rocked slightly again.

People came up from the stairs in their robes, they looked scared. The captain's deep voice comes over a loudspeaker, "Not to worry, we just hit a rough patch of reefs, we'll be over it soon." Levy suddenly remembered something in a book she had read not too long ago about the ocean. The book had said that coral reefs could surround volcanic islands. Did that mean they were close to an island? They were supposed to be out in the open sea until they reached _Seven_

She put her thoughts aside and focused on the present. "I hope the boat won't be damaged," Levy said, feeling a bit worried.

"Gihi, it's fine shrimp, don't get your panties in a wad." Gajeel said, while ruffling her hair. _"He pretends like we weren't about to kiss ten seconds ago..." _Levy thought to herself, feeling a little annoyed. Jet and Droy emerged from the second floor and ran over to Levy, they asked if she was okay, even though nothing happened.

The scraping on the boat seemed to cease, and everything became quiet again. The passengers were visibly calmer now that the noise and rocking had stopped. But Gajeel wouldn't let his guard down so easy. He ignored everyone else and leaned over the railing again and listened intently. It's was too quiet, the air seemed to carry a scent of danger with it, and another scent that resembled something fishy...

Gajeel scoured the black waters, looking for something. Levy sees Gajeel leaned over the rail again and she realized that he doesn't have motion sickness.

"Hey Gajeel, if we're on a boat why aren't you..." she begins.

"Shhh!" he interrupted her, not taking his eyes off the water. Levy is a little surprised and walked over and looked over the rail too, trying to figure out what had caught his attention, but doesn't see anything.

For a second, Gajeel thinks that he saw something but he may be mistaken but...wait...there! A short distance away, something black barely broke the surface of the icy water, breaching momentarily, to only slither back to the depths seconds later. Gajeel's eyes widen in realization. He pushed himself off the rail, and quickly grabbed Levy before _it_ can get her. A giant serpent-like head broke through the glassy water and lunged towards them. Its jaws, filled with rows of slimy yellow fangs, gaped open; ready to eat them.

Gajeel, jumped back just in time though, saving Levy and himself. The creature clamps its jaws down only on the wooden rail, effectively crushing it to smithereens. The monster immediately released the rail, splinters coated the inside of its mouth, puncturing its flesh. It let out a garbled roar, and sank back down into the water.

The passengers began to panic again. Not the thing to do in this situation. The creature may be down now, but it's not done.

"Jet, Droy, get everyone to the lower floors. We'll deal with this beast," Levy commanded.

The duo obeyed and began herding people down the stairs, while Levy and Gajeel waited for the creature to show itself again. Once again, silence surrounded them before the creature attacked again. And this time, it attacked with a vengeance. Two clawed flippers pound their way onto the deck, destroying the mast and slashing at them. The beast used its tail to begin to bash at the sides of the boat and anything that got in its way. Its head searched out a meal, and its glowing yellow eyes landed on Levy. It charged for her when she wasn't expecting it, and Levy felt like she was frozen in place.

Just as its salivating jaws were nearing her body, a metal rod slammed into the creature's head, blood sprayed from the impact. "Get away from her, you bastard!" Gajeel yelled.

The creature was knocked sideways for a moment, but then it reared back and used one of its clawed flippers to slug him, sending him flying into the nearest wall, making a Gajeel-shaped hole.

"Gajeel!" Levy yelled. _"That's it! No more being a baby, you have to fight for Gajeel!"_ Levy thought to herself.

The beast kept on pummeling the ship with its limbs. If it kept it up, before long the ship would be nothing but rubble. It needed to be stopped, now. It raised one of its flippers again to swipe at her. "Solid Script... Fire!" Levy shouted. The fire bored into the creature's hide, causing its skin to burn and blister. The stench of burning and raw flesh filled the air.

Gajeel climbed through the hole, and continued to attack the monster with Levy at his side. "Demon Logs!" he shouted.

The sea creature is heavily wounded now, with many large and bloody lacerations along its long, slick body. It let out another blood-curdling roar, and splashed back into the sea. It is visible as it makes its way toward the stern.

Gajeel is able to predict what the creature is about to do, "Hold onto something!"

Levy has just enough time to grab onto the rail before the sea creature rose up out of the water, turned, and slams its gigantic tail near the back of the boat. The force sent them rushing forward on a gigantic wave. Water spilled over the edges of the ship and drenched them. Levy can taste the salty water mixed with her blood in her mouth, and it stung. The boat crashed into the coral reefs again, and seemed to be stuck in place. Levy is able to look over the side and see that they were indeed _very _close to an island. The wave had sent them towards it. Her prediction from before was correct!

_"Now that we are in the shallows the creature shouldn't come back and attack us," _Levy thought. But here it comes towards them again, intent on finishing them off.

Gajeel Stood on a bit of debris in order to gain higher ground and shouted, "I'm finishing this!" A look of pure determination on his face crossed his face. Levy could feel the immense pressure of the atmosphere around her, as Gajeel sucked in a giant breath.

"Iron Dragon...ROAR!" he yelled, blasting chunks of metal directly at the creature. It screamed and writhed while in the whirlwind, helpless. With one final pathetic roar, the creature finally sunk into the black sea for good. Small bubbles rising to the surface where it once was.

Both Fairy Tail mages stood there for a moment, and took it all in. Gajeel turned around, the light of the moon casted him in strange light, and he smirked at Levy, "Gihi."


	4. A Defalcator?

**A/N: This chapter is kind of a boring, short chapter :/ Chapter 5 will be short as well, but they are very important. Anyway, Sorry about not updating sooner, guys! I've been really busy these past few days. Thank you for all the follows, favs, and reviews! I was able to write part of this chapter with Microsoft Word Starter instead of WordPad! It makes things so much faster and easier… : D**

**Note: The ending of the last chapter was changed slightly, it will still be nighttime when they are finished battling the creature. Not morning. I hate to have to change things, which makes me wish I would have planned this story out more instead of just making it up as I went along. I have a plot in mind now though, and I hope to stick to it with no changes. ;) Enjoy…**

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**Chapter Four: A…Defalcator?**

After their battle with the sea serpent had been won, team Shadow Gear and Gajeel were able to help the other passengers off the broken ship and into the shallow waters below. The creature had left the back half of the ship badly damaged and unfixable. Its sailing days were over. The boat was tilted; one side of the ship sank into the rocky water and sand below, the other end (not as damaged) stuck up slightly. Levy had cast her Solid Script for light to help everyone see as they climbed down the ladder and off the ship. The white word sat above them vividly, guiding them from the ship to the island, which was only 15 yards or so away. The last off had been Levy and Gajeel, and Plopie and the Captain.

The salty water came up to Levy's chest, while it only came up to Gajeel's abdomen. Levy was constantly reminded how different they were from each other, that's something she loved and wouldn't ever change. With one look at Gajeel, Levy could tell that he was fuming. As soon as the captain had hopped down off the ladder, Gajeel snatched his coat and pulled him close.

"Where the hell were you?" he hissed. The captain kept a detached expression and said nothing. Plopie on the other hand, looked like Gajeel had grown two heads for confronting the captain in such a manner.

"Gajeel…" Levy started, trying to calm him down.

But before she could say another word, Gajeel continued on his little rant. "I thought you were supposed to be the captain of this damn ship? You just sat up there cowering and sucking your thumb while we did all the dirty work!"

Plopie, visibly shaking, interrupted, "sir…we are not mages. We would have just gotten in the way. There is nothing we really could have done, which is why we hired you guys to protect us and the ship." Plopie's words held truth in them, they most likely would have gotten in the way. Gajeel reluctantly released the captain's jacket, never taking his eyes off him.

Smoothing his jacket, the captain said, "yeah, and they've done a real good job of that…" he muttered sarcastically under his breath. Had Gajeel not been a Dragon Slayer, he wouldn't have heard him.

"What did you say?" Gajeel asked, and stepped closer.

Luckily, Levy was there to stop the inevitable fight before it even started. She hugged Gajeel's arm close to her body and was able to calm him down. After she sent Gajeel away, she apologized profusely to both of them for his behavior. While the captain made no effort to show that he had forgiven them and just walked/swam off, Plopie patted her back and reassured her that there were no hurt feelings between them.

Levy was the last to leave the wreck, swimming through the coral reefs to the island ahead. Levy tried her best to avoid bumping into the rocks and coral, but it was so dark that it was hard to see. Her 'light' word had followed the other passengers, and left her in the dark. She brought her foot down accidently on something hard, immediately pain shot through her heel and throughout her foot.

"Ouch!" Levy said quietly. The pain died down a little after a few seconds, but there was still a dull ache. She began thinking of what could have caused the pain. _"Maybe a sharp rock?" _she thought. But, another possibility entered her head that she could have stepped on a sea urchin. She didn't panic though. If she had stepped on one, then as soon as she got to shore she'd sit down, pull out the spines, and use her magic to put some vinegar and warm water on her foot, just like one of her many books had instructed to do.

Just as she reached shore, she was able to hear the end of the captain's and Plopie's conversation with the group of other survivors. All sat around a large fire. "…isn't on the map, and didn't show up on the ship's radar before the attack. This area is known for many shipwrecks, though. Now we know why."

Levy eased her way into the group, keeping the pressure off her hurt foot. She sat down and began inspecting her injury. A few long, dark red spines were imbedded into her heel, but it didn't look too bad. She kept quiet as she pulled the needles out, not wanting to attract attention to herself.

When she was able to get most of the spines out, she whispered, "Solid Script: Vinegar."

Levy waited…and…waited. Nothing happened. She was stunned, why didn't the word appear? Something was definitely up, her body felt strange. Panicking slightly, Levy raised her voice and said forcefully, "Solid Script: VINEGAR!"

Finally, vinegar appeared and poured onto her sore foot, soothing it. But the feeling that something was wrong was still present. When Levy called out the spell, she felt a ton of pressure within her. The single word 'vinegar' consuming much more magical energy than it should have when she had cast it.

"What's wrong, Levy?" Droy asked. All eyes were on her now. The last thing she wanted was getting everyone's attention, but now she had it. The only thing she was worried about, though, was her magic deficiency.

"Can you guys use magic?" Levy asks hurriedly; she needed to see if her friends were experiencing what she was feeling as well.

Gajeel could tell by the edgy look on the bookworm's face that it was a serious question, which deserved a serious answer. Without a word, he tried to turn his arm into that of a steel rod. He grunted slightly from the effort, but he was able to transform his tan skin into steel. Gajeel felt it though, the pressure and the overuse of his magic. It usually took a lot more moves and magic to make him feel a little tired, so why did he feel as if he had just had a short fight with the Salamander?

Jet and Droy tried using their magic as well, receiving similar results. The passengers, along with Plopie and the captain, looked back and forth at them, their faces puzzled. "What's the problem?" the captain asked, his words clipped.

"Something is wrong with our magic…" Jet replied, feeling a bit lost.

Levy began digging through one of her now waterlogged blue suitcases, which she was able to save from the wreck, and pulled out an old looking book. She began thumbing through the book briskly, taking care not to tear the soggy pages. Gajeel went over to stand beside her and crossed his arms, getting a good look at the old tome.

Someone in the group replied, "How can something be wrong with your magic? What could possibly be affecting it?"

"I think I have an idea of what it is..." Levy said, without looking up from the book. What were the chances that something like _that _could be here, on this island? It was nearly impossible.

"What?" someone asked.

Levy replied, "A Magic Defalcator."


	5. Cryptic

**Okay guys, I know I haven't updated in a couple months and I'm **_**really **_**sorry about that. Real life tends to get in the way as most of you probably know. A family member passed away, and a lot of stuff has happened within these past months. I sort of lost my interest in Fairy Tail there for a while, but I'm hoping I'll get into it again. :) I went back and edited some earlier chapters and was shocked at how many errors there were (there probably is still some I didn't see.) Perhaps I should get a Beta? Anyway, I hope all of the people who're still following this fic will like this chapter and future chapters. Love you guys!**

**By the way, I was wondering out of curiosity, how old do you guys think I am? :)**

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**Chapter Five: Cryptic**

"A Magic…what?" someone asked dubiously in the surrounding crowd. Many faces looked around, confused. To Levy, the passengers of the ship looked very weary, they were still drenched and shivering in the cool night air. They all had expecting to live in the lap of luxury for the next few weeks, but what happened instead? An impossible, giant sea creature had crashed them upon a huge, deserted, and mysterious tropical island. What more could possibly happen?

Levy spoke softly and tried to calm everyone's nerves, "I said _A Magic Defalcator_. Though there are many other possible causes of our magic deficiency." She paused and looked around the group. When no one made a move to interject she continued, "A Magic Defalcator is said to be a machine built around a century ago. It was invented by a mad genius, who programmed the Defalcator to steal magic. The closer you get to the machine, the more magic it can steal. It takes magic in whatever way it can, through the atmosphere, from the ground, and even from people. It leeches off of people and things; sucks them dry until there's nothing left. That is how it got its nickname, 'the parasite.'"

"The parasite, huh?" Gajeel murmured to himself. A sizable amount of hushed d whispers from the crowd reached Levy's ears. Some worried, some skeptical. Levy could understand why some didn't seem believe her.

"It is said to be a legend." Levy added quickly. "But there's no doubting the similarities between this machine and the things we, as Fairy Tail mages, have seen." She looked to Gajeel, Jet, and Droy and they all nodded at her to continue. "A mage was able to suck out our guild master's magic by using a technique called 'Magic Drain'. Another example is the giant fish-ship during the whole infinity clock incident, as I'm sure all of you have heard of."

"So, you think that this Magic Defalcator just magically happened to show up here on this island out of nowhere?" A tall lanky man asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"The machine was merely a prototype of the time. A main control chip is what operates the entire machine. The technology at the time was not advanced enough for _the parasite_ to be on a large scale with such an inept control chip. So when authority figures finally caught wind of the tiny machine, they confiscated it. There is a chance, however slim it may be, that it was cast away here on this island.

"How do we know for sure that it's here?" A timid women asked. Levy looked through the pages of her book again, tracing the figures of the diagrams.

"This book says that the closer you get, the more magic the Defalcator takes. Meaning we would probably feel more and more pressure the closer we got to the machine." All these sophisticated words were making Gajeel's head spin. He was tired of just sitting around and talking, he wanted some action!

"Alright then, let's just go find this leech and smash it to pieces!" Gajeel said with a wild grin. Some people seemed startled from his sudden outburst, and some even took a few steps back. The orange glow from the fire was casting weird shapes and shadows across his features, and he did look a little eerie Levy thought.

The captain bent down to Plopie and whispered some words into his ear, and then immediately straightened up. Gajeel had quite an amusing thought of how the captain looked like he always had a pole or something shoved up his ass. Plopie spoke with that awkward confidence of his, "We should all get some rest. It's been a long day for everyone. We will talk more and come up with a game plan when the sun rises."

"Have to have your mouthpiece do all the talking for ya?" Gajeel jeered at the captain. He truly hated the man, and just loved to push his buttons. The captain merely glared arrogantly at Gajeel before he strode away, conversing with a few of people. Wet luggage was laid out to dry, and people tried to make themselves comfortable on the pale sand surrounding the campfire.

Levy mustered up what remained of her magic to dry all of her stuff. By the time she laid down underneath her blanket, she was completely exhausted as the day's events caught up to her. Gajeel sat crossed legged near her, watching everyone get settled in to their temporary home.

"Levy, are you okay? Do you want us to get you anything…?" Jet and Droy asked her thoughtfully. Though their sentiments were lost; Levy was already fast asleep. Both hung their heads, she wasn't paying near enough attention to them these days. They both flopped down close to her and closed their eyes to sleep. Gajeel simply splayed out on his back, staring up at the sky.

How had he found himself in yet another dangerous situation with Levy? His head filled with memories he shared with the bookworm, and he soon had found that his mind had wandered to the kiss they had almost shared. Almost. He couldn't believe he was actually going to kiss her. It was purely out of impulse what he did...or was it? He half expected her to turn away when he pulled her towards him, but she hadn't. She seemed to _want_ to kiss him. He remembered her cute blush, and the way her small cute lips were slightly parted… Gajeel stopped himself right there before he went any further. He rubbed his eyes and grumbled unintelligible words. "I must be going soft," Gajeel thought. Well, the girl certainly knew how to confuse him.

Gajeel sneaked a peak over at Levy's sleeping figure. She hugged her wool blanket close to herself, he could sense her shivering underneath it. It was a rather cold night. A vision popped in his head of Levy and himself snuggling, using the excuse 'just to keep warm.' like hell he would ever do that! Gajeel Redfox did _not _snuggle. He turned his back to Levy and tried to slow his breathing and sleep. However, movement off in the distance caught his attention. Something or someone was boarding the ship. Who was sneaking around so late at night? Had Gajeel been anyone else he wouldn't have seen anything, since the movement was so subtle. It pays to be a dragon slayer.

Silently, Gajeel crept from his spot, tip-toeing around sleeping figures. He eased his way into the frigid water once more, and made his way toward the ship. He pulled himself over the side and caught the mixed scents of Plopie and the captain. Immense curiosity and suspicion overwhelmed him but he continued stealthily down the stairs; a silent shadow. He continued down the hall and heard their hushed voices becoming louder. He came to the end of the corridor, a single metal door stood at the end. The voices came from behind.

Without warning, the door swung open. The captain stepped out into the empty hallway along with Plopie trailing behind him, a lantern in hand. "We're lucky nothing was damaged," the captain said darkly, throwing a threatening glance at Plopie. Gajeel had leapt up onto the ceiling of the ship in an instant, extending his metal arms to balance himself on either side of the walls. He was lucky the lantern's light did not quite reach the ceiling.

"Very lucky sir, and _it_was left undamaged and untouched." Plopie replied, emphasizing the word 'it.'

"Still, I don't particularly care to have these nosy, know-it all, Fairy Tail mages here," the captain said with a scowl. "Especially the greasy one."

"_Greasy one!? I'm not greasy, damn it!" _Gajeel seethed inside his own mind. Even from his vantage point, he could see what lay within the door which was left ajar. A mountain of jewels laid in heaps within the room. He was amazed at how much wealth could fit in such a small space. But what really attracted his attention was a large metal chest near the back of the room. It had several locks that emitted a strange glow about them, most likely a magical spell or runes guarded it. No wonder they seemed so protective of this floor. But what was inside that chest?

The captain closed the door with a small clang and both he and Plopie left quietly. When they were out of earshot, Gajeel fell from the ceiling with a thud, landing solidly on his feet. He noticed that the pressure he had felt from the island when he used magic was considerably less out here, though he could still feel a light tug of pressure.

Gajeel walked over to the door and tried opening it. It was locked, no good. He could try to force his way in, though that would definitely cause too much noise and notice. An idea struck him, turning his pointer finger into a drill, he quietly tried to drill out a section of the door to open it. The drill bit into nothing, it had no effect on the door. How was that possible? Strange things indeed were happening.

He had to get back to camp soon, if the captain or Plopie noticed he was gone then there would be trouble. As silently as he came, Gajeel made his way back to camp. Levy and the rest were exactly as he'd left them. Jet and Droy were sprawled out over each other, twitching occasionally. He took some of his wet clothes off to dry and padded down for the night. Something fishy was definitely brewing, and he would persistently sniff out the problem. With his dragon slayer nose, anything was possible.

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**I would absolutely love everyone's reviews and thoughts (though nothing too harsh please). I know this chapter was boring but it is important to the story. :) Anyway, this is my first chapter fanfic, so I hope that I am doing well. :) See you guys in the next chapter… :D**


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